You'd hardly notice the little fibro cottage, with fading sky blue walls, because it is so encompassed by coconut palms and bouganvillea. It's positioned on a grassy hill overlooking Roebuck Bay's mangrove fringed shoreline. The sandflies are terrible on certain tides, perhaps the only downside to a multi million dollar view.

Once there were shacks, luggers, and ephemera from the pearling industry on the beach. Now the old cottage is alone.

This is the house where John Collinson spent his twilight years, with noone knowing he made the first recording of Australia's pseudo anthem - Waltzing Matilda.

Born in 1892 in Northumberland, UK, the son of a coalminer, John Collinson emmigrated to Australia just prior to WW1. He signed up and survived Gallipoli and the Western Front. As part of his recovery from war wounds, he took up singing, training in opera first in London then Milan.

In 1927 he recorded Waltzing Matilda - two copies of which are in the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

After being feted on stage, touring the USA and singing on the BBC, John disappeared.

In the late 1930s he left his wife and family in England to return to Australia... and wasn't on the public records again until John Collinson popped up in Broome in 1965.

At the National Film and Sound Archives, Graham MacDonald is on the trail of John's mysterious life in Australia. He has a passion for Waltzing Matilda.

Talk to some old Broome residents and they remember him... a lonely man, loud classical music from his house ringing across the bay, arms in splints, helping at the Anglican Church up the road from his house, polite and well spoken, one who kept to himself - and a good singer.

He died alone (one local says undiscovered for several days until a Church friend called) at the age of 81 in 1973. He's buried in Broome's Anglican section of the town cemetery. His grave is unmarked amongst the long grass and red sand, so far from London.

John Collinson lived in this little house on the Roebuck Bay foreshore, once filled with luggers, shacks and shanties, and now sitting alone. Classical music used to play loudly.
(Hilary Smale - ABC Kimberley)